David Price
David Taylor Price (born August 26, 1985) is an American Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. Price was selected first overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Rays and made his major league debut in September 2008. Price pitched out of the bullpen during the Rays' run through the 2008 playoffs. Just weeks after his first appearance in the big leagues, he earned a memorable save in Game 7 of the ALCS, helping his club reach their first World Series. Price became a full-time starter in 2009. In his second full season, he was named the American League starter for the 2010 All-Star Game and finished second in the voting for the 2010 Cy Young Award. He won his first Cy Young Award in 2012 after a tight race. Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays He signed his first professional contract on August 15, 2007. The six-year contract was worth $8.5 million, including a $5.6 million signing bonus. After the contract was approved by the MLB, he was added to the Devil Rays 40-man roster before being optioned to the minor leagues to begin his career. At the time, Price’s bonus was the second-largest in draft history, behind only the $6.1 million Justin Upton received from the Arizona Diamondbacks as the top overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft. The guaranteed value was the third-highest in draft history, trailing only Mark Prior ($10.5 million) and Mark Teixeira ($9.5 million) from the 2001 draft. Price made his spring training debut against the Yankees, hitting the first batter and striking out the next three in one inning of work. His fastball averaged 98 mph. Price was first assigned to pitch for the Rays Single-A Vero Beach affiliate. He started six games for Vero Beach, compiling a record of 4–0. He had an ERA of 1.82 with 37 strikeouts in 34⅔ innings pitched. In his second start in Vero Beach, Price pitched against Pedro Martínez. After the game, Martínez said of Price: He's amazing, that kid. He's amazing.... that kid is very mature for his time in pros, and very talented. Oh my God. God bless him and keep him healthy. That kid did a heck of a job of throwing first-pitch strikes and pounding the strike zone and jamming hitters. I was watching that. He did it like a big leaguer. He had such a command. Right there, I'm challenging you. I'm going to do what I gotta do without any fear. That's the kind of talent you love to see. After moving up through the Rays' minor league system to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits in July, Price was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on August 9, 2008. After compiling an 11–0 combined record at Single-A and Double-A, Price received his first professional loss in his first start at Triple-A Durham. 2008 Price made his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays on September 14, 2008, against the Yankees. The first MLB hit he allowed was a home run by Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter; Jeter would later record his 3,000th hit by again homering off Price in 2011. Price pitched 5⅓ innings of relief; he made his first major league start with the Rays on September 22, 2008, against the Baltimore Orioles. He was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the 2008 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, earning a post-season victory before winning a regular season game. Price recorded the final four outs in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, earning his first career save (regular season or postseason; postseason statistics are recorded separately.) and eliminating the defending champion Red Sox. Price then pitched 2⅓ innings in Game 2 of the 2008 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies; he gave up two earned runs but nevertheless earned his second postseason save. 2009 On May 30, 2009, Price collected his first major league regular season win in a 5–2 victory over the Minnesota Twins in which he struck out 11 in under 6 innings. He finished the season with a 10–7 record, a 4.42 ERA, 102 strikeouts, and 54 walks in 23 starts. 2010 In the 2010 season, Price was the first American League pitcher to reach 10 wins, on June 15. On that date, he was 10–2 and led the league with a 2.31 ERA. Price was selected as the American League starting pitcher for the 2010 All-Star Game in Anaheim, California. He finished the 2010 season tied for second in the American League (with Jon Lester) in wins (19) and in third place in ERA (2.72). He was 8th in the league in strikeouts with 188. He lost Games 1 and 5 of the 2010 American League Division Series against Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers. 2011 During a game against the Yankees on July 9, 2011, Price allowed a home run to Derek Jeter, which was Jeter's 3,000th career hit. Price finished 2011 with a 12-13 record, 218 strikeouts, and a 3.49 ERA in 34 games started. 2012 The 2012 season for Price was one of his best. He went 20-5 on the season (tying for the league lead in wins) with a league-leading 2.54 ERA, two main reasons why he won the AL Cy Young award. Price pitched a complete game shutout against the Los Angeles Angels on April 24, 2012, with the final score 5-0. Price pitched in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. Price got his 20th win against the Chicago White Sox on September 30, making him the first 20-win pitcher in Rays franchise history. In recording the win, he became the youngest American League pitcher (aged 27) to earn 20 wins in a season since 2004.